Chat with Dr. Kat

Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

With over 25 years of experience as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Kat was one of the pioneers of online therapy. She launched one of the first virtual platforms, MyTherapyNet.com, long before telehealth became the norm. She is the author of Online Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice, and has taught thousands of therapists through her lectures for AAMFT, CAMFT, and other national and international psychological associations. She has also served as a consultant for The Dr. Phil Show, bringing her expertise to a national audience. Now, through Chat with Dr. Kat, she shares the moments that spark the kind of clarity people have been searching for — sometimes for years. Her gift is helping people finally “get it” — to break through in ways they never have before. Whether it’s parenting struggles, relationship dynamics, emotional healing, communication challenges, or what’s happening in the world around us, Dr. Kat brings insight, compassion, and real talk that leads to real change.

  1. 1D AGO

    Generous to Everyone but the Car Behind You

    You've watched a driver wave in pedestrian after pedestrian, pause for someone backing out of a driveway, smile and gesture generously to everyone around them — and then the moment you try to pass, they speed up so you can't. Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo, a licensed psychologist, builds a whole episode around that contradiction, sparked by a line from her youngest daughter: that person is generous to everyone but the one behind them. Working through five everyday driving scenarios — crossing three lanes at a light, stopping in a live lane to check a phone, blocking intersections, the In-N-Out line, and a tense moment over a shopping cart — Dr. Kat treats each not as a traffic complaint but as a small question of character. You'll hear why she reframes the driver who cut you off so they don't take up "rent in your brain," and why one impatient choice can quietly affect thirty-five strangers. It's a grounded look at how small courtesies, or their absence, shape the way a day actually feels. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    20 min

  2. 6D AGO

    Speech Therapy for Toddlers: When to Worry and When Not To

    Your toddler isn't talking much yet, and you've started to wonder: is this just their pace, or is something actually wrong? It's a question that can quietly eat at a parent for months — and most of the worrying happens before anyone reaches out for help. Speech-language pathologist Abigail Skegin-Sipes, founder of Sunshine Speech LA, joins Dr. Kat to talk about why that hesitation is so common, and why waiting tends to cost more than the problem itself. Abigail explains what speech therapy actually covers — far more than lisps and stutters — and why the toddler years are such a critical window for communication. She and Dr. Kat get into the misconception that a child who isn't talking isn't understanding, the case for play-based therapy over clinical drilling, and simple things parents can do at home: getting down to eye level, narrating everyday moments, using repetition games like "ready, set, go." Her core message is freeing — the worst outcome of an evaluation is being told your child is fine. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    35 min

  3. MAY 12

    Anxiety Symptoms You Think Are Normal (But Aren't)

    You're not the type who'd describe yourself as anxious. You sleep okay, mostly. You handle stress. But your heart sometimes races for no reason, you wake up at the same time every night with your mind spinning, and you've started thinking that buzzing, low-grade hum is just how being a person feels. Dr. Kat has been hearing some version of this from clients for years — and what she wants you to understand is that you might be living inside a state your nervous system has tricked you into calling rest. She walks through what anxiety actually is in the body, why chronic anxiety creates a "false resting state" where you only think you've relaxed, and why the symptoms most people brush off — early-morning waking, the freeze that keeps a kid from turning in finished homework, the conviction that you've simply "always been like this" — are signs worth taking seriously. She also covers what to do about it, including the one place not to get your anxiety medication. You don't have to live this way. Most people don't realize they don't have to. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    24 min

  4. MAY 7

    Hair Loss, Menopause, and the Toxins Hiding in Your Bathroom

    Hair loss is one of those things that can quietly reshape how a woman sees herself — and most of the advice out there stops at "take biotin" or "try rosemary oil." But what if the real problem isn't your hair at all? Dr. Kat sits down with Diana Robinson, a hairstylist of 25 years turned hair loss consultant, to talk about what's actually behind the thinning — and most of it has nothing to do with your hair. They get into the everyday toxins hiding in your products, why your lab results might not be telling the full story, how cortisol and menopause create a perfect storm for hair loss, and a genetic issue affecting 44% of the population that most doctors never test for. Diana breaks down her scalp-as-soil approach, challenges the viral rosemary oil study, and explains why the supplement you're taking could be skewing your bloodwork. If you've ever stared at hair in the drain and wondered what's really going on, this one's for you. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    1h 9m

  5. MAY 5

    High Functioning Depression: You Go to Work, Come Home & Fall Apart

    You go to work. You take care of your family. You show up, you function, you get through the day. But the moment you're alone — the mask drops, and the sadness is right there waiting. Most people living with persistent, low-grade depression don't even recognize it as depression because they're still "functioning." They assume depression means you can't get out of bed, so what they're feeling must just be who they are.  Dr. Kat breaks down the types of depression most people never learn about — from major depression and dysthymia to postpartum, PMDD, and the surprising crash that can follow a happy event like a wedding or graduation. She shares personal stories from her own pregnancies and licensing journey, and introduces a striking anchor-and-boat analogy that explains why depression keeps cycling back even when you think you're getting better. Whether you suspect something's off in your own life or you're watching someone you love quietly struggle, this episode gives you the language to finally name what's happening. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    25 min

  6. APR 30

    Parenting Teens: The Mistakes That Push Them Further Away

    Your teenager barely leaves their room, answers every question with one word, and seems to be drifting further away no matter what you try. You're not imagining it — and you might be accidentally making it worse. Dr. Kat sits down with clinical psychologist Christopher Fulton, Ph.D., who has spent 30 years working with teens and families at his collaborative practice in Calabasas, to talk about what he's actually seeing right now: post-COVID isolation at an all-time high, comfort zones that have shrunk to a screen and a bedroom, and teenagers turning to AI chatbots for the emotional support they used to get from real people. Chris breaks down why punishment backfires and what to do instead, how to use small exposure steps to pull an anxious teen back into the world, and why the hardest move a parent can make — letting your kid fail — is often the one that builds the most resilience. He also shares why food allergies can mimic ADHD symptoms and what every parent should check before jumping to a diagnosis. This one is packed with tools you can use tonight. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    43 min

  7. APR 28

    Communication in Relationships: Everything Except What You Asked For

    Your partner buys the new bed, replaces the carpet, upgrades the headboard — and you're standing there thinking, "but I asked you to paint the room yellow." It's one of the most common and quietly devastating patterns in relationships: your person puts in real effort, sometimes enormous effort, but it's never aimed at the one thing you actually asked for. Over time, the message that lands isn't "I'm trying" — it's "what you need doesn't matter." Dr. Kat breaks down her Yellow Room Theory, a framework for understanding why couples keep missing each other even when both people are genuinely trying. She walks through what real communication looks like versus what most people think they're saying, why taking accountability first changes how your partner hears you, and what happens when someone waits so long to paint the room that their partner finally does it alone. This one comes with a homework assignment you can do tonight. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    16 min

  8. APR 23

    Addiction and Codependency - The Mistake Every Family Makes | Amber Hollingsworth

    If you love someone who's struggling with addiction, you've probably tried everything — the confrontations, the promises, the ultimatums, the cleaning up their messes while resenting them for it. And none of it worked. Amber Hollingsworth, a Master Addiction Counselor with nearly a million YouTube subscribers on her channel Put The Shovel Down, explains why the instinct to help is often the very thing keeping your loved one stuck — and why families unknowingly become the "bad guy" in a dynamic that makes addiction stronger. Dr. Kat and Amber break down the difference between guilt and shame and why one motivates change while the other drives people deeper into substance use. They cover Amber's counterintuitive formula — let the world deliver consequences while you become the safe person — and why the bargaining phase (cutting back, setting rules) is actually a sign of progress, not failure. Whether it's a spouse, a parent, or a teenager who won't see the problem, this conversation offers a different way to think about what you can actually do. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

    1h 14m
See All (36)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

With over 25 years of experience as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Kat was one of the pioneers of online therapy. She launched one of the first virtual platforms, MyTherapyNet.com, long before telehealth became the norm. She is the author of Online Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice, and has taught thousands of therapists through her lectures for AAMFT, CAMFT, and other national and international psychological associations. She has also served as a consultant for The Dr. Phil Show, bringing her expertise to a national audience. Now, through Chat with Dr. Kat, she shares the moments that spark the kind of clarity people have been searching for — sometimes for years. Her gift is helping people finally “get it” — to break through in ways they never have before. Whether it’s parenting struggles, relationship dynamics, emotional healing, communication challenges, or what’s happening in the world around us, Dr. Kat brings insight, compassion, and real talk that leads to real change.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
  • Show Website
    Chat with Dr. Kat